Pumping units



April 28, 1959 F. E. DADDARIO 2,883,936.

' PUMPING UNITS Filed July 1'0, 1956 2 Sheets-Shee t 1 April 28, 1959 v F. EQDADDARIO I 2,883,936

PUMPING UNITS Filed July 10, '1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 EmEJaMuub,

Unitrd S w Perm-07 PUMPING UNITS Francis E. Daddario, Reading, Mass.

I Application July 10, 1956, Serial No. 596,919

Claims. (Cl. 103113) The present invention relates to pumping units in which there are priming and second or delivery pumps.

In many installations, commonly where pump operation is intermittent, loss of priming is a real risk This risk may be avoided by employing a priming pump located below a tank and with its inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and its outlet in communication with the upper part thereof thus to be primed by attained is the principal object of this invention. Among I the features of pumping units in accordance with the invention is the ejector which provides different volumes and the tank which has two valve controlled outlets also providing different volumes. This arrangement enables the priming pump to cooperate with the delivery pump under certain conditions to enable large volumes to be handled efiiciently. At other times, the function of the priming pump may be limited to freeing the system, on the inlet side of the delivery pump, of air, to maintaining the priming, and to keeping the tank contents at acceptable temperatures. In addition, the priming pump may be employed to deliver liquid to the packing of the delivery pump when the delivery pump is of a type requiring that as a lubricant or to render its packing effective.

In the accompanying drawings, there are shown illustrative embodiments of the invention from which these and other of its objectives, novel features and advantages will be readily apparent.

- In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pumping unit in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a partly sectioned side view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section, on an increased scale, of the float valve control in the small volume outlet of the tank for the priming pump, and

Fig. 4 is a view of an embodiment of the invention that is generally similar to Fig. 2 illustrating the exchange in function of the two pumps.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, there is generally indicated a delivery pump 10 of'any desired type, shown as provided withla drive shaft 11 and an inlet 12 in communication with .the 'source,=not shown. The inlet 12 has a T Iii-housing a screen 14 and to which there is operatively connected the intake 15 of the generally indicated ejector 16. The outlet of the pump 10 is indicated at 17 and is shown as having a check valve 18.

A second or priming pump is generally indicated at 19 and this may be of any desired.v type, and is shown as 2,883,936 Patented A r. as, 1959 having a drive shaft 20 and is located below a tank 21 for priming liquid. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the pump 10 is also located below the tank 21. The inlet 22 of the pump 19 is in communication with the lower part of the tank 21 and its outlet 23 in communication with the upper part thereof and including the ejector 16. By this arrangement, the pump 19 is always primed by the tank contents and it is operative to circulate tank contents from bottom to top thereof and, in so doing, to actuate the ejector 16.

It will be noted that the ejector 16 has a chamber 24 below which there is a check valve 25. In the chamber 24 there is .a seat 26 supporting a fioat 27 having guides 28 and a centrally disposed conduit 29. The float 27 has a valve element 30 operative to engage the top of the chamber 24 and shut off the flow of liquid therethrough, except for that flowing through the conduit 29 thus to provide a small volume ejector flow. When the set screw 31 is adjusted to prevent the float 27 from engaging the chamber top, water may also flow about it providing a large volume ejector flow.

The tank 21 has an outlet 32 provided with a shut-01f valve 33 and this outlet may be connected to the outlet 17 of the delivery pump 10. A conduit 34, whose volumetric capacity is materially less than that of the outlet 32, extends from the tank 21 downwardly to the T 13 thus to place the tank 21 in communication with the inlet side of the pump 10 when its valves permit. As may be seen in Fig. 3, there is shown a pair of manually operable valves 35 between which there is a chamber 36 housing the float 37 having centering lugs 38 for movement between the seat 39 and the screen stop 40. By this arrangement, a flow through the outlet chamber 36 is possible when the tank 21 is full to a predetermined extent and all its valves open to furnish means for preventing the temperature of the tank contents from becoming elevated to an objectionable extent, due to its circu lation through and heating by the pump 19 by delivering water from the tank 21 to the inlet side of the pump 10; Objectionable water heating could be eliminated by having the tank 21 of sufficiently large capacity but the large size that would be required and the increased cost that would result are both objectionable as would be the expedient of discharging water from the tank 21 to establish a flow of cooling water thereto as this practice would-create a messy condition around the pumping unit.

Where the pump 10 is of the type that requires liquid in the tank 21 either as a lubricant or to render effective packing in a gland suggested at 41, a conduit 42 may be provided to deliver liquid directly from the outlet side of the pump 19.

The priming pump 19 is usually one having relatively low horsepower requirements, at least at normal speeds but is capable of developing substantially higher pressures at higher speeds. The pump 10, on the other hand, is one having a relatively large volume within the range of economic operation.

With substantial discharge heads, it is preferred that the function of the priming pump, in addition to that of priming, be mainly that of exhausting air to a maximum extent from the inlet zone of the delivery pump. Additionally, circulation through the tank is maintained and water is delivered to the gland 41.

The pumping unit may be used as a vacuum pump, and in preferred embodiments, when maximum vacuums are to be attained, gauge readings at sea level have been consistently 29 inches or better. The pumping unit may also be used as an air circulator as well as for other pur poses. When it is used to pump gases, it may be necessary to supply the tank with liquids and for that reaso it is provided with a filler port 43.

Reference is now made to Fig. 4 where the same atrangement is shown but with the pumps arranged so that each performs the functions of the other.

For that purpose, the tank 21 has a T 44 provided with shut-off valves 45 and 46 in conduits 47 and 48 respectively. The conduit 47 is shown as connected to the T 13 in substitution of the inlet conduit 12 while the conduit 48 enables the tank 21 to be placed in priming communication with the pump 19 but is now assumed to be closed.

The ejector 16 includes a two way valve 49 by which it may be operative on the inlet side of the pump or, through the conduit 50, on the pump 19.

The conduit 51, like the conduit 42, effects interpump delivery, in this case from the pump 10 to the gland 52 of the pump 19 and the conduit 34 is shown as connected to the conduit 50. The inlet from the system is indicated at 53 While the outlet 54 has a check valve 55 and a two-way valve 56 including a branch line 57 to the two way valve 58 in the ejector conduit which also has a two way valve 59 enabling the pump 10 to be connected to the discharge 60 which becomes the main discharge line when the pump 19 is to be used as the priming pump.

The operation of the pumping unit detailed in Fig. 4 is identical to that illustrated by Figs. 1 and 2 except that a jet effect results from the use of the pump 19 as the delivery pump.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that pumping units in accordance with the invention are well adapted to provide efiiciency, economy and reliability of operation in a wide range of uses.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a pumping unit, a delivery pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a priming pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said priming pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said priming pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said delivery pump, and valve controlled means operable when said tank is filled to a predetermined extent to connect said tank to the inlet side of said delivery pump.

2. In a pumping unit, a delivery pump including a Water lubricated packing element, an inlet and an outlet, at priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a priming pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said priming pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said prming pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said delivery pump, valve controlled means including a float operable when said tank is filled to a predetermined extent to connect said tank to the inlet side of said delivery pump and a conduit effecting communication between said priming pump and said packing element.

3. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with. the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump, means in said ejector intake operable to vary the amount of liquid therethrough, to cause the ejector to receive one of two possible volumes of liquid and valve controlled means operable when said tank is filled to a predetermined extent to connect said tank to the inlet side of said first pump.

4. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump, and valve controlled means operable when said tank is filled to a predetermined extent to connect said tank to the inlet side of said first pump, said means including a float valve open when said tank is filled to said predetermined extent.

5. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof and an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump means in said ejector intake operable to vary the amount of liquid therethrough, to cause the ejector to receive one of two possible volumes of liquid.

6. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, at priming tank provided with a valve controlled unit, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof and an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump, said ejector intake including a conduit establishing a first volume and a second conduit including a float valve closed by water passing through said ejector intake said second conduit establishing, in conjunction with said first conduit, a sec ond possible ejector intake volume.

7. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump, and valve controlled means operable to connect said tank to the inlet side of said first pump.

8. In a pumping unit, a first pump including an inlet and an outlet, a priming tank, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said second pump, means in said ejector intake operable to vary the amount of liquid therethrough, to cause the ejector to receive one of two possible volumes of liquid disposed with its inlet in communication with the inlet side of said first pump and two valve controlled outlets from said tank, each of a different volume, the smaller volume outlet being in communication with the inlet side of the delivery pump.

9. In a pumping unit, a priming tank provided with a valve controlled outlet, a first pump below said tank including an inlet and an outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof and an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump means in said ejector intake operable to vary the amount of liquid therethrough, to cause the ejector to receive one of two possible volumes of liquid.

10. In a pumping unit, a priming tank provided with a Valve controlled unit, a first pump below said tank including an inlet and an outlet, a second pump below said tank and including an inlet in communication with the lower part thereof and an outlet in communication with the upper part thereof whereby said second pump is primed by liquid in said tank and circulates liquid from the bottom to the top thereof, an ejector in the outlet of said second pump disposed with its intake in communication with the inlet side of said first pump one of said pumps being of the type adapted to provide a relatively large liquid volume with relatively low horsepower re- 6 quirements, and the other pump being of the type adapted to develop pressures relatively higher than those of the larger volume pump, and valve controlled connections operable to enable either pump to serve as the priming and as the delivery pump.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,755,000 Haentjens Apr. 15, 1930 2,124,681 Jauch et a1 July 26, 1938 2,175,997 Saxe Oct. 10, 1939 2,203,077 Carpenter June 4, 1940 2,232,280 Southern Feb. 18, 1941 2,425,070 Nicolette Aug. 5, 1947 2,440,980 Sheppard May 4, 1948 2,452,421 Ames Oct. 26, 1948 2,472,802 Bentley June 14, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,930 Netherlands May 15, 1929 25,988 Great Britain of 1898 

